FLINT, MI -- After five days and thousands of votes, Flint
Journal-MLive Media Group readers have decided: The Torch makes the best burger
in Genesee County.

On Tuesday, The Torch and Freakin' Unbelievable Burgers were
within one vote of each other in Flint Journal's poll of restaurants, made of nominees
determined by readers' comments, emails and Facebook posts.

But after readers saw The Torch's narrow margin, they voted
in droves to cushion its lead.

The Torch, a bar/restaurant that has been a staple of
downtown Flint for more than 50 years, drew 985 votes -- more than 30
percent of the poll's 3,000-plus votes.

"(The poll) makes me feel good about the restaurant and our
burger," said Ron Sims, co-owner of The Torch since January 2006. "We've been
here a long time, and we just try to do the best burger we can do."

He says the restaurant has quality meat and that burgers are
cooked to order, but that the main ingredient in the burger's success is the
grill.

"We have a seasoned grill," he said. "...It's been sitting
here forever."

Freakin' Unbelievable Burgers, which just celebrated its
one-year anniversary, was second place with 713, amounting to about 22 percent
of the poll.

Brent Skaggs, president and founder of Freakin' Unbelievable, was happy with nabbing such a high spot after only a year in business.

"We're really excited, to only be in business for one year and to have so many loyal customers recognize us as one of the best burgers in Genesee County," he said. He attributes the strong following to quality products and the assortment of 40-plus toppings and sauces.

"We have a billion different combinations to create the burger you want," he said.

Tony Tucker had similar sentiments when learning that his restaurant Krystal Jo's made such an impression, finishing at third place with 624 votes, only a couple percentage points below
Freakin' Unbelievable Burgers.

"I'm a new business. I've only been here five years," Tucker said. "Going up against Starlite, which is an icon in this town, and The Torch? It's awesome. I feel like I'm playing in the big leagues."

In the Michigan's Best series, local reporters and statewide
reporter John Gonzalez usually visit only the top two poll winners. In the next couple of days, MLIve-Flint Journal will visit The Torch, Freakin'
Unbelievable and Krystal Jo's to take a closer look at how they create the
burgers that Genesee County reveres.

And next week, MLive reporter John Gonzalez will visit Flint
during a road trip around Michigan, to give his take on how the Vehicle City's
burgers measure up to those throughout the rest of the state.

How do you feel about the results of the polls? Are there
any Michigan burgers that you think give The Torch and Freakin' Unbelievable a
run for their money? Leave your thoughts in the comments!